Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Streetcar Named Desire

Just finished re-reading (I think I've read it before; I know I've seen the Brando movie) Tennessee Williams' masterpiece last night. Wow! That thing will hit you hard. There's so much in there. You've got wife beating, rape, alcoholism, pedophilia, mental illness, and even some homosexuality thrown in for good measure - and this was written in the late 1940s. It's one of those things that you read, and almost no matter what, you can look at your situation and say, "well, at least I'm better off than they are." So, in that respect it's a feel good story.

But it's also tragically sad when looked at another way. When you consider how unprepared Blanche was for life and how hard reality hit her. After reading it, I decided I must be kinder to people, especially those that may have the sensitive qualities that Blanche's character embodies.

Anyhow, the play got me to doing some serious thinking. Hats off to Tennessee Williams for some quality work.

Cheers.

X

2 comments:

Ella said...

He was a great writer. Interesting read and site. Love the spider part of your profile.

Ella

PS: My ancestors did fight in the Rev. War.

Ralph said...

Good to hear about your ancestors helping free the country from England. Those certainly were some rough and turbulent times.

X